The Birthmark

Publisher's Summary

Hawthorne approached the Romantic notion of the ability of science to destroy art (or beauty) in the form of fictive "horror stories" of biological research out of control. This story is the best of that group. A devoted scientist marries a beautiful woman with a single physical flaw: a birthmark on her face. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the imperfection and his attempts to remove it via his scientific skills, thus rendering his bride perfect.

Audible Editor Reviews

Nathaniel Hawthorne, best known for The Scarlet Letter, tells another obsessive tale of female purity and perfection in "The Birthmark". In this short story, a scientist named Aylmer marries a beautiful woman, Georgiana. Once they settle into their life together, Aylmer becomes fixated on the small red blemish on Georgiana’s cheek. His obsession haunts his dreams and leads him to find a way to remove the birthmark in his laboratory. Walter Covell’s rich voice and subtle characterizations are pitch-perfect for Hawthorne’s account of one man’s perilous quest for beauty.

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